jonneeb

Thanks for the replies guys. Mrs fabricator, have yous picked up much work? I will definitely be hounding you for info nearer the time of arrival

grey sky, when we were there before (2009) we were able to register a van by having a couple of nights booked in a campsite and producing receipt. I am (maybe naively) assuming that I will be able to obtain drivers licence with the same set up. Insurance would not be an issue, third party insurance with rego of van. It will be something in the line of a 1990's hi ace, so no big expense involved.

medicare I will definitely be looking into.

Hi, A UK drivers license is valid for 12 months after your arrival date. We renewed ours really easily at the local rego ofice, just be prepared to queue, not very expensive and they came in the post within a month.

Rego in SA provides 3rd party insurance as part of the cost, not sure if that's the same is WA though.

Register for Medicare as soon as you arrive and if you're coming to SA don't forget to take out Ambulance cover. Should you be unlucky enough to need an ambulance, if you don't have cover then you get stung with an $800 bill!

Good luck, enjoy

Getting hand tools free of rust oil and grease. How are you supposed to do that. I'm planning on taking all my tools. Etc. Sockets engineering tools drills taps dies squares etc hand tools and some power tools. Probably going to split them all up between the family's baggage on the flight. Are they going to make me open all our bags and confiscate all tools that have some rust spots,grease on them?

Rob

It's a time consuming job, yes, but well worth the effort.

I used a wire cup brush on a grinder and held it with a bench vice and cleaned all the rusty tools, then sparyed with WD40.

Everything else was cleaned with steam and coated in Jeyes fluid with a garden pressure sprayer.

If you put the effort in up front you won't get cleaning charges, fines or lose your tools.

Good luck

Hi all,

 

The wife and I are moving out to Perth and it's surrounding areas in March on a permanent residency 190 visa which I have secured through my original trade as a bricklayer.

 

Need to decide whether or not take my tools, gear and equipment. From what I understand, the majority of work available for newcomer brit brickie s is new build residential sites, and as such I'm thinking the only real requirement for tools should I end up working in this environment is basic hand tools, levels, profiles etc (no power tools or other building equipment).

 

I do have a good amount of my own gear which I have accumulated whilst working for myself in UK over the last several years as bricklayer / general builder. But am beginning to question whether it's worth the hassle/expense of shipping it over, or simply selling it before I go.

 

Can anyone else see the point of me bringing power tools and equipment such as stihlsaw, breakers and generators all that way, when the chances are ill most likely be working back on new builds using only my own basic hand tools, where all other equipment and plant should be supplied by employer? Or is it looked on favourably by potential employers if I already had the gear?

 

As always, all your posts/thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers and and all the best for 2014.

Tools are expensive here, we're in Adelaide but we know people in Perth.

Bring everything you can, then you don't, or won't need to replace it.

If you don't need it when you get here then sell it here.

Just make sure EVERYTHING is REALLY clean before it is packed, I cleaned everything with a high temperature steam cleaner and coated it in Jeyes fluid so it looked and smelled like it had been sterilised.

The smell of Jeyes fluid disappears after a while and we had nothing that required "customs cleaning" which can be very expensive.

Cheers and good luck

Christies Beach, Adelaide

Thanks for that, really informative.